Another selection on the best connected watches? No ! The family of wearable technologies is not limited to connected watches, even if the latter have helped to popularize the category. In reality, any clothing or accessory containing advanced electronic or computer elements can find its place in this family. For Christmas 2024, we tried to avoid traditional connected watches to focus on other more unusual connected objects or which marked the year 2024. And we tried to offer 5 products for all budgets.
The affordable essential: the Xiaomi Smart Band 9
Should we still present Xiaomi’s connected bracelet? The firm launched the Smart Band 9 this year and if this model does not revolutionize the genre compared to previous versions, it still shines with its quality-price ratio.
Tested in our columns, it benefits from an efficient design to accompany you for several days on your wrist. Although the features are a little more limited than on a watch, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 offers a complete suite for sports and health tracking.
Finally, it is even possible to add accessories to personalize your gift and the user experience.
Budget: less than 40 euros
Discover the Xiaomi Smart Band 9
See also: the Smart Band 9 Active and Smart Band 9 Pro
For more limited budgets, the Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Active is even more accessible and targets people wishing to monitor their physical activity. Conversely, the Smart Band 9 Pro is more expensive and more complete with a design similar to that of a watch.
Budget: 30 to 80 euros
The alternative to the connected watch: the Samsung Galaxy Ring
The geekiest will not have missed one of the notable announcements of the year: Samsung’s Galaxy Ring. There were already other connected rings, but Samsung’s ambitions should help this category explode. After bracelets and watches, the Galaxy Ring completes the brand’s health ecosystem and poses an alternative.
Despite its small size and the absence of a screen, the ring includes a heart rate monitor to continuously measure heart rate, a temperature sensor and an accelerometer. The Galaxy Ring comes in several sizes and benefits from a titanium design. It claims up to seven days of battery life and functions related to Galaxy AI.
Budget: less than 400 euros
Discover the Samsung Galaxy Ring
For sports geeks: the Handyspring connected water bottle
This still accessible connected water bottle has a sensor to monitor water consumption. This is linked to a mobile application to track sips and help achieve daily hydration goals.
The bottle, made of BPA-free food grade plastic, has colorful LEDs and offers personalized sound alerts. These additions provide a fun approach and help achieve objectives, previously adjusted via the application according to needs. This connected water bottle adds a straw while charging is done using a USB port.
Budget: less than 60 euros
Discover the Handyspring connected water bottle
For those who lack sleep: the Anker Soundcore Sleep A20
A partner who snores, difficulty falling asleep, waking up at night, excessive exposure to screens… many things can disrupt sleep. If you are concerned or know someone who is having difficulty falling asleep, the Anker Soundcore Sleep A20 can help.
These are not a medical device, but accessible sleep headphones. The Sleep A20 features Twin-Seal eartips to provide three times the noise reduction of single-layer eartips. This helps to reduce the snoring of your partner or external noises (like vehicles on the street), but the headphones also focus on comfort. Anker offers an ergonomic design that is ideal for people who train on the side.
Budget: less than 120 euros
Discover the Anker Soundcore Sleep A20
THE geek gift of 2024: the Ray-Ban Meta
The budget is much larger, but the Ray-Ban Meta are one of the flagship wearables of this year 2024. The success is there and confirms that there is room for connected glasses, that is to say say glasses that discreetly embed advanced technologies. These glasses like no other allow you to listen to music or take photos and videos thanks to the integrated cameras.
Good news, the Ray-Ban Meta regularly benefits from new features and even has AI functions. Unlike some mixed reality headsets, there is little chance that such a gift will gather dust or end up in a drawer.
Budget: from 329 euros
Discover the Ray-Ban Meta
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